Council tax plan could cost £2.3bn

A valuable lesson

The green deal consultation has now closed. So has the government made the grade? Nick Duxbury gives ministers their marks

The master plan

Communities secretary Eric Pickles is leading the overhaul of the planning system. So will the new strategies deliver? Ahead of the Conservative Party conference Jules Birch gathers a team of experts to find out.

Welsh AMs unveil housing reforms

The Welsh Government plans to provide financial incentives to encourage councils to bring up to 12,000 empty homes back into use by 2016.

Dunce’s cap

Whose bonus is it anyway?

Councils in England received £200 million in new homes bonuses last year but an Inside Housing survey reveals less than a quarter will plough the money back into housing. So where is the cash being spent and are communities having their say? Rhiannon Bury investigates.

Solving the land puzzle

If organisations share buildings the leftover sites can be pieced together for development, says Alan Stokes

Going spare

The government’s contentious ‘bedroom tax’ on under-occupying tenants is set to become law this month. Alex Turner looks at the disproportionate effect it’s likely to have in the north

Support on a shoestring

Budgets are being slashed and demand is up but, as Inside Housing and Capita’s exclusive Supporting People survey reveals, many care and support providers are maintaining services for vulnerable people. Lydia Stockdale finds out how they are doing it and if it can last.

Battening down the hatches

Inside Housing’s exclusive salary survey shows it’s been a difficult 12 months for most housing employees. Simon Brandon reports on the regime of pay freezes and increased workloads introduced by organisations as they battle the economic gloom

Construct a greener future

Building regulations are being tightened in a bid to protect the environment, says Catherine Parker, solicitor at Trowers & Hamlins